Genuine objects in wood
c Oona Smet
The impact of matter
For over a decade, the aroma of wood has enveloped Rayah's studio. A remarkable material bestowed upon her by her husband, the arborist, a byproduct for him, yet one of immense significance for her. Trees serve as a great source of inspiration, and not just trees, but nature in its entirety. She has always been a dreamer, drifting during the day into designs, objects that are intrinsically linked to nature and how we, as humans and designers, can advance this natural world through our ideas, positively influencing it and allowing it to grow exponentially.
Rayah contemplates how we can achieve so much more with far less and how we should not exhaust natural resources in designs driven by the rationale of making for the sake of making. For her, an object carries more than just the maker’s vision; it tells the story of the material’s past, of its origins and of the value of natural resources that designers increasingly take for granted. This must never be the case or become the norm. As a creator, she finds it essential to recognize that raw materials never come without a cost to nature, they always leave an impact. And it is through everything she does or creates that she aims to convey this message.
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Spinning stillness
Since 2013, she has practiced the craft of handworking wood, with woodturning becoming the predominant focus over the years. Through formal training and learning from an elder craftsman, she increasingly realized that this technique was her true calling. The method resonates with her deeply, as the repetitive, almost hypnotic motions of the wood spinning in constant rhythm on the lathe induce a trance-like state, offering a tranquility she finds nowhere else. It enables her to escape the stresses of life; as the world spins on, hers seemingly pauses, dictated by the lathe's continuous rotations.
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c Renaat Nijs
Grain gone wild
This exploration includes her hairy woodturning technique, discovered in 2021, where she unravels the wood mm by mm, releasing fibers like hair from the mass. Here, the type of wood determines not only the hair type, but also the grain direction, the choice of chisel, and how it penetrates the wood. This innovative approach to an ancient craft places the beauty of imperfection above the flawlessly finished pieces of contemporary times. The wood begins to resemble textile, evoking the softness of fur, gaining unique value as each piece responds differently to this technique. She believes it reflects that within everyone lies a rough edge—wild, yet undeniably beautiful.​
c Tijs Vervecken
c Tijs Vervecken
c Tijs Vervecken